India's military might bolstered since Balakot airstrikes in 2019

Hindustan Times

28-04-2025

India has significantly multiplied its offensive capabilities since the 2019 Balakot airstrikes in Pakistan, and during the border standoff with China, and the new weapons and systems it has modernised its arsenal with bring more options on the table as New Delhi carefully weighs military action to punish Pakistan for being behind the Pahalgam terror attack, officials aware of the matter said on Monday.
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his top ministers pledging a crushing response, India has strengthened its military posture across the western front after the April 22 attack that killed 26 people, including the volatile Line of Control (LoC) which is witnessing a sharp escalation of hostilities following constant ceasefire violations by the Pakistan Army.
'Many capability gaps have been fixed during the last five to six years through imports and locally produced weaponry. The new capabilities can pack a mean punch. Overall, the military is far more potent than what it was when the Balakot airstrikes were executed,' said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.
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The military hardware inducted to power the war machine includes Rafale fighter jets, S-400 air defence missile systems, Barak 8 air defence system, the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, a raft of warships and submarines including the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Arighaat, the Prachand light combat helicopters, the C-295 tactical transport aircraft, artillery guns and a new range of assault rifles.
The capability boost, which coincided with the military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, covers a variety of unmanned systems, smart air-to-ground weapons, missiles, rockets, precision munitions, tank ammunition, high-tech surveillance systems and specialist vehicles.
Sustained capability development in recent years has addressed shortfalls and boosted the military's preparedness to carry out the missions assigned to it in a fluid security environment such as the one being witnessed now, said another official.
'When the orders come, the armed forces will deliver,' he added, asking not to be named.
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On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the perpetrators and conspirators of the Pahalgam attack will be served the harshest response, seen by many as a stern warning to Pakistan. 'The unity of the country, the solidarity of 140 crore Indians is our biggest strength in the war against terror,' he said.
His comments came on a day multiple Indian warships showcased their long-range precision strike capabilities during drills in the Arabian Sea.
The new inductions, especially the Rafale- S 400 combination, have given India a direct edge over the adversary, said strategic affairs expert Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd). 'The weapons and systems in our arsenal are a nightmare for Pakistan. We have not only boosted our military capability but are also on track to induct newer weapons and technologies with an eye on the future.'
India is developing a range of new weapons and technologies that have propelled it into a select league of countries.
The recent unveiling of a locally produced laser weapon that can knock out drones has put the spotlight on cutting-edge defence technologies that India has demonstrated during the last two to three years, with the developments boosting the country's global stature and paving the way for the armed forces to deploy a new range of weapons.
Only a few countries possess some of the technologies that India has showcased.
The April 13 successful trial of the directed energy weapon (DEW) system with a 30-kilowatt laser came months after India for the first time carried out a ground test of a scramjet engine, an air breathing engine capable of sustaining combustion during supersonic flights. The development is being seen as a crucial milestone in developing next-generation hypersonic missiles that can travel at speeds of more than Mach 5 or five times the speed of sound.
The few countries that have mastered the technology to disable missiles, drones and smaller projectiles using a laser weapon include the US, Russia, China, the UK, Germany and Israel. Similarly, only the US, Russia and China have developed technologies to field fast-manoeuvring hypersonic missiles that fly at lower altitudes and are extremely hard to track and intercept.
Other recent notable achievements by India include the launch of the 3,500-km range K-4 nuclear capable ballistic missile from a submarine, the testing of the second phase of India's ballistic missile defence system and developing the Agni-5 missile with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle (MIRV) technology. The MIRV capability allows the weapon system to deliver multiple nuclear warheads against different targets spread across hundreds of kilometres. MIRVs can cause more destruction than traditional missiles that carry a single warhead.
Last November, INS Arighaat launched the K-4 missile for the first time, a step towards strengthening the country's nuclear triad (ability to launch strategic weapons from land, sea and air). India also tested its first long-range hypersonic missile, a weapon designed to deliver various payloads at ranges greater than 1,500 km.
India is also developing a long-range surface-to-air missile system under the DRDO's Project Kusha. It will have a range of 350 km and is expected to be deployed in four to five years.